By Meica Campbell
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:4-7
We are officially in the countdown to Christmas! Houses are decorated, plans are made, and preparations for what will ensue is taking place. Some of us will celebrate “Christ’s sacred communion”, or Christmas for short, on December 25th. Some will celebrate in different ways on different days surrounding the holiday. Some will have parties and some will be in quiet reflection. These events will take place in homes, schools, and in churches. They will happen on Sundays, on Wednesdays, in the mornings, and in evenings. The way or the day we celebrate is not the point though. It is that we DO indeed create space for celebration, reflection, people, places, and traditions that matter during this season. Perhaps this season is one of the most intentional times of creating space that we have all year. And perhaps it is the season that we find ourselves the most frantic about creating those times and spaces.
The very thing that we are preparing to celebrate is wrought with busy-ness and entertaining other people and things. This leaves little room for what really matters. Or we become so short-sighted that we end up having no room (mentally or practically) for what really matters anyway. A third option is that with all the hustle and bustle, we get lost in discerning what is really important in the first place. Is it the people? Is it the way in which we reflect and celebrate? Is it the cultural elements (either church culture or commercialized culture or family tradition)? It has been my experience as a minister and mom and citizen that it is a little of all of the above. We do the school concerts, the Bible readings, the cookie-baking, the candlelight service, the music, and the shopping to name a few. And they are all good reminders of the “reason for the season.” However, have you ever gotten to the end (you know, around January 2nd) and felt as if you “missed” something? You may do this in many ways, such as feeling like you didn’t get a good enough mental picture of what the looks on the kid’s faces were when they saw the presents under the tree, or how the candlelight service felt when the lights went out and you sang Silent Night. Maybe you’re more of a forward thinker, so you are already onto planning for Easter in whatever way you celebrate and reflect that.
Whichever way your mind works through times such as this, my charge to you is the same: are you creating space for Jesus to dwell or are you full of all the other people and events and priorities that present themselves (even if they seem required or are tradition), leaving no place for Him? Moreover, are the traditions that seem required and good really serving you and your people well to create that space? Is “Christ’s Mass” or the sacred communion of Christ – Christmas – filled with a heart of obedience to culture or expectant engagement with the dwelling of the divine? What would it look like this season to not follow in the footsteps of the keeper of the inn and the town of Bethlehem- having no place for Christ, but opening the doors of your heart and creating the space for those around you during this sacred time to experience and dwell with Him together?
It is not about the Sunday gathering or the School Concert (although both of those could be the dwelling place of the divine). It is not about tradition (although tradition can lead us to dwelling). It IS about creating space for Him, in whichever way we can, to welcome the King and reflect on the significance of his coming to us.